The Kentucky Wildcats are one of several major college basketball programs that Northern Illinois guard David Coit Jr. said that he has heard from since declaring his decision to enter the transfer portal. Coit told The Portal Report that he also has heard from TCU, Louisville, Utah, Washington State and Oregon State.
Northern Illinois (D1) transfer David Coit has heard from the following schools, he told @ThePortalReport:
TCU
Louisville
Kentucky
Utah
Washington State
Oregon State pic.twitter.com/1i4qc72SK3— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) April 16, 2024
Kentucky Among 6 Major Programs Pursuing High-Scoring NIU Guard
Coit has taken the long road to college basketball stardom. The 5-11 undersized point guard from Columbus (NJ) was a 1,000-point scorer for Princeton Day during his prep day. However, after being under-recruited as a 2020 prospect, Coit decided to spend a post-graduate year at The Scotland School in Southern Pennsylvania.
Coit’s Early College Career
Following a season at The Scotland School, Coit spent a year at Division III junior college Atlantic Cape (Atlantic City, NJ) Community College. That is when he finally started to get noticed by Division I programs. He led the nation in scoring at 30.6 points a game, earning him Garden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Coit ultimately chose to sign with NIU, partly because his family liked the Dekalb campus and thrived from the get-go.
“When my father and my mother were sold (on NIU), that really had me,” Coit told Zachery Bertram of The Northern Star. “Those two people aren’t sold on anything. My dad was like, ‘This is the place he’s going to earn it, and this is the level for him.’ So, I knew it was right.”
Coit earned third-team all-MAC honors after finishing in the top 20 of the conference in several categories. This past season, he earned third-team all-league honors and upped his production in several areas.
Coit averaged 20.8 points, 24th best in the nation, and finished with a MAC-leading 3.2 treys a game while compiling a shooting slash line of .407/.337/.885. He added 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and nearly one steal a game.
Coit scored in double-figures in 28 of 29 appearances, topping the 20-point mark 15 times, including 30-plus on five occasions. He produced one double-double this past season and scored a career-high 37 points in the regular season finale against Buffalo.
Rated as a three-star transfer, Coit is a slasher who loves getting to the bucket. He is very quick and probably best suited for an uptempo style of offense.
Coit also sees the floor well and has improved as a playmaker and ballhandler. He loves to launch from beyond the arc and has outstanding range despite being an average shooter.
Defensively. Coit is a very gritty defender capable of picking up full court.
Looking At The 6 Schools That Contacted Coit
It is very early, and Coit will likely receive interest from more schools. But it is an excellent start to his recruiting process. Expect Coit to take the time to evaluate his options and make visits.
Kentucky Wildcats
As expected, a mass exodus occurred following John Calipari’s departure for Arkansas. However, Mark Pope was a fantastic hire who will get the right kids for the program.
Pope has his job cut out for him this summer, trying to rebuild a roster that lost two seniors. The Wildcats also have lost three NBA draft entries and five players to the transfer portal. Transfers Aaron Bradshaw and Zvonimir Ivisic committed to Ohio State and Arkansas on Monday.
Reed Shephard will likely vacate Lexington and enter the NBA draft at some point. According to the Lexington Herald, the Wildcats have also seen five players from their 2024 recruiting class leave following five-star wing Billy Richmond’s decision to re-open his recruitment today.
It appears that 6-2 point guard Travis Perry, a four-star recruit and the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky high school boys basketball history, will honor the NLI he signed with the previous regime.
Pope landed his first 2024 recruit earlier today, with 2022 four-star recruit Collin Chandler flipping his commitment from BYU to Kentucky. Chandler has yet to play collegiately, as he opted to go on a two-year Mormon Mission instead of enrolling at BYU after high school.
Former Drexel forward Amari Williams is slated to visit UK next week. The Wildcats are in the top 3 of former BYU center Aly Khalifa.
TCU Horned Frogs
Not really sure if point guard is a major priority for the Horned Frogs. TCU did lose some backcourt depth due to graduation. But Jameer Nelson Jr. may return for a fifth season — if he applies for a medical hardship waiver — and Jaime Dixon picked up a commitment from Frankie Collins, a 6-1 guard who played at Michigan and Arizona State.
Louisville Cardinals
Louisville, like Kentucky, is rebuilding its roster following Pat Kelsey replacing Kenny Payne as head coach after the season’s conclusion. All 12 players on scholarship last season have entered the transfer portal.
The Cardinals have received commitments from three transfers but need a whole host of players. JMU Terrence Edwards Jr. committed to U of L yesterday. Two College of Charleston players, guard Reyne Smith and forward James Scott, have followed Kelsey to U of L.
Utah Utes
Utah is moving into the Big 12 this upcoming season. The Utes turned in their best season under third-year coach Craig Smith, going 22-15 and reaching the NIT Semis. It marked their second straight winning season, although the 22 victories are the most since 2017-18.
Starting point guard Deivon Smith will be back for one more season, and the Utes received a commitment from Boston College combo guard Mason Madsen on Sunday.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State hired David Riley to replace Kyle Smith, who moved on to Stanford following the Cougars’ first NCAA tournament berth since 2008. Riley previously played at Eastern Washington for the last three seasons, leading the Eagles to back-to-back 20-win seasons and consecutive Big Sky regular-season titles the previous two years.
The Cougars have 10 players in the transfer portal, three of whom have already found a new home. They have yet to sign anyone and had both players previously in their recruiting class de-commit.
Oregon State Beavers
Like Washington State, Oregon State was left in the proverbial dust by the rest of the Pac-12. So, the Beavers and Cougars will play the next couple of years as associate members of the West Coast Conference.
OSU went 13-19 last year, marking its third straight losing season. The Beavers have 27 total victories during this stretch. The Beavers have seven players in the transfer portal and have yet to secure a commitment.
